We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Brooke Sellers a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Brooke, appreciate you joining us today. Owning a business isn’t always glamorous and so most business owners we’ve connected with have shared that on tough days they sometimes wonder what it would have been like to have just had a regular job instead of all the responsibility of running a business. Have you ever felt that way?
I am so happy to own my own business. I am currently looking for a house and the only showings were at random times during the week, and I just thought to myself how lucky I am to be able to create my own schedule so I can go whenever I want. It has truly given me a lot of freedom with my time. I still work a lot, but I at least get to choose those hours I work.
Brooke, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I was overweight most of my childhood and I ended up developing some health issues in my early twenties. I was in college and could hardly walk around to my classes without being out of breath. I was on three different asthma medications, and my clothes were all becoming too tight. I just knew something had to change. I started going to the gym and eating better, and I completely transformed my life. My health improved, my composition improved, and overall I greatly improved my quality of life. Eventually people around me started to notice, and others started asking for help. This is when I realized I wanted to help other people find their power and happiness through health and fitness. So I took a 3 month practicum at a local gym, learned everything I could, and although it didn’t work out for me being a trainer at the gym, it led me to creating my own business which is what I have today, Meatless Muscle.
How did you build your audience on social media?
My main focus has always been to provide value in my content. There should be something someone can take away or learn from every single post. Whether it’s something special about you that people can relate to and learn from or a simple nutrition fact, your audience should be able to find value in every single piece of content you have. This is what drives people to share and save your content which is crucial to the algorithm. Consistency is also an important part of social media. I grew my following from about 2,000 to 67,000 in three years. It didn’t happen overnight. I have consistently posted over those three years never going three days without a post, and that’s what got me here today. Momentum builds on your posts and your page, so it’s important to stay engaged.
Can you talk to us about how your side-hustle turned into something more.
Yes, originally I was working as a trainer in the gym, and I was barely getting by. I had hardly any money, and I ended up injuring my back so I had to resign. I started working at a bank, but I was absolutely miserable. I’m the type of person who needs purpose, and I had none there. I started a fun side gig thinking it would give me an outlet to find that purpose and promote my lifestyle I love so much. Within three months, I was able to quit my job and go full time with my business. I worked early mornings, late nights, and weekends to make it happen. I started realizing I really had something special and started investing more time into it. I hired a great business coach who really helped guide me through the initial start up process.
Contact Info:
- Website: meatlessmuscle.com
- Instagram: @missmeatlessmuscle
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100080355283790&mibextid=LQQJ4d
- Youtube: https://youtube.com/@missmeatlessmuscle?si=MPyG2Ow5p8HRm5Gn
Image Credits
Gilco Productions WEA Photography Middle Tennessee Photography